Senior TTP commander killed in Afghanistan

A senior commander of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been killed during a shootout in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.

Commander TTP Lakki Marwat Atiqur Rehman, known as Tipu Gul, was wanted by Pakistan’s security forces due to his involvement in the killing of numerous security and police personnel in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

TTP insiders told The Express Tribune that Rehman had orchestrated numerous attacks targeting security personnel. In February, a Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police operation hinted at Rehman being one of the 12 TTP militants slain during the operation. Nevertheless, the proscribed organisation denied the reports.

However, TTP sources today confirmed the killing of their commander during the shootout.

TTP is a terrorist organisation fighting against the state of Pakistan since 2007. The group was formed from the splintered elements of al-Qaeda and other militant factions pursuing the goal of enforcing Sharia in Afghanistan and, by extension, Pakistan.

Read more: TTP source of bad blood between Afghanistan, Pakistan: Jilani

The terrorist outfit is responsible for killing thousands of innocent people, including children. TTP was also involved in the heinous attack at the Army Public School in Peshawar in December 2014.

Since 2018, the group has diverted its policy from attacking civilians to Pakistani military personnel and intelligence operatives to avenge the Pakistan military’s operation in North Waziristan that completely dismantled the TTP’s critical infrastructure.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s action against terror financing had choked the group’s monetary supply line, rendering it ineffective until the Afghan Taliban returned to power.

Pakistan has repeatedly asked Afghan interim government to take action against TTP militants. However, they continue to operate from areas of Afghanistan close to border with Pakistan.